Netflix's latest miniseries Griselda explores the life of real-life crime boss Griselda Blanco, a businesswoman turned notorious cocaine trafficker who became 'The Godmother' of Miami's drug empire in the 1970s.
The six-parter, which stars Modern Family's Sofia Vergara in the titular role, is a "fictionalised" version of events that tells how Griselda's "lethal blend of unsuspected savagery and charm" allowed her to form one of the most profitable cartels in history and become a central figure in the violent Miami drug wars.
While she may have been known as 'The Godmother' of the criminal underworld, Griselda was in fact a mother to four sons. But what happened to them and where are they now?
Who are Griselda Blanco's sons?
During her first marriage to document forger Carlos Trujillo, Griselda welcomed three sons: Osvaldo, also known as "Ozzy", Dixon and Uber. All three were born before Griselda had reached the age of 21.
A decade later, Griselda and Carlos split up, and the crime boss had her ex-husband killed over a business disagreement, earning her the moniker: 'Black Widow'.
© Elizabeth Morris/NetflixDuring her third marriage to killer Darlo Sepúlveda, Griselda welcomed her youngest son Michael Corleone, who was named after Al Pacino's character in the iconic gangster film, The Godfather.
In 1983, Darlo left Griselda and attempted to kidnap Michael and take him to Columbia after he and his ex-wife disagreed over custody. The mother of four reportedly paid to have Darlo assassinated and her son returned to the US.
© Elizabeth Morris/NetflixGriselda herself met an undignified end when she was shot and killed by two mystery assailants outside a butcher's shop in 2012. The identity of the killers remains unknown.
What happened to Griselda's four sons?
Michael Corleone Blanco is Griselda's only surviving son.
By the age of nine, Michael had joined the family business and survived seven assassination attempts as a young boy. He went on to become a major figure in his mother's empire after she was sentenced to 25 years for trafficking and effectively took charge of the business at the age of 12 as his other brothers were in jail.
Speaking to The Sunday Mirror in 2020, Michael said of his mother: "My mother was no saint. She had to survive to do her thing. But at the end of the day, she was my mother. I will forever honour and respect her. I love her."
© Elizabeth Morris/NetflixMichael later decided to turn his back on the family business in search of a life away from crime. But in 2012, he got the call about Griselda's death.
"It was a call I had been dreading for years," he said. "I'd spoken to her at two that morning. They said to me, 'Michael, I'm standing over your mother's dead body.' Right then and there it was, all right, do I kill a whole bunch of people just in case?"
"Even right now it brings tears to my eyes because I was with my boys when I got that phone call. I was teaching my youngest one how to swim.
"I said, 'I'm not going to let these kids live the life that I lived.' But to get out of that life you have to let certain individuals know there won't be any retributions. It was taken care of in the old country, Colombia," he added.
© NetflixMichael now lives in Miami with his wife and three children. He runs a lifestyle brand, Pure Blanco and is releasing a book about his mother titled, My Mother, The Godmother, and the True Story of Michael Corleone Blanco, the Son of Griselda Blanco.
The entrepreneur has also filed a lawsuit against Sofia Vergara and Netflix for using the unauthorized "image, likeness and/or identity" of family members in the new series.
Griselda's other three sons, Osvaldo, Dixon and Uber, were all killed. The Netflix drama depicts all three deaths, showing Dixon killed while walking to his car, Uber targeted during a drug deal and Ozzy murdered in a nightclub.
Griselda is now streaming on Netflix.
